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Biographical details

Professor Maxwell Bennett is an internationally renowned neuroscientist and expert on the history and philosophy of brain and mind research. He has had a long-standing interest in studying the functioning of synapses and a wider philosophical interest in the relationship between the brain and our psychological attributes such as thinking, remembering and perceiving. Among his major research contributions is the discovery of non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) neurotransmitters and elucidation of their mechanisms of action, which has had profound implications for the treatment of visceral and vascular disorders. His current research is investigating synaptic functioning in neuropsychiatric diseases including post-traumatic stress disorder. His team was the first to demonstrate that stress leads to the loss of synapses in certain parts of the brain and in turn, to the loss of grey matter seen via neuroimaging in PTSD patients. His philosophical studies challenge traditional paradigms of brain science, which attribute psychological capabilities such as thinking, perceiving and remembering, to the brain. Instead he says “it is the person who possesses these attributes, while the brain facilitates expression of these abilities”. Professor Bennett’s pioneering work on the physiology, development and plasticity of synapses, led to him being awarded by the Australian Government in 1980, the first and largest Centre of Research Excellence (of the 10 established within Australian universities). In 2000 he was elected to the first University Chair ‘for research recognized internationally as of exceptional distinction’. As Founding Director of the Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI), Professor Bennett cemented his vision of bringing together psychiatrists, psychologists, neuroscientists and patients, to facilitate collaborative research and patient management. He has founded numerous other organizations and authored several books on the history and philosophy of the brain sciences, and on science policy.

Research interests

Professor Bennett has conducted pioneering research in neuroscience for over five decades, focusing on the physiology, formation and plasticity of synapses. By increasing our understanding of normal (and disordered) neuronal functioning, his research has important implications for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Professor Bennett’s discovery of novel NANC neurotransmitters disproved the then-accepted paradigm of over 50 years that only two neurotransmitters (noradrenaline and acetylcholine) exist. He also first identified the generation of action potentials due to the influx of calcium ions when NANC neurotransmitters act on smooth muscle cells. Additionally, Professor Bennett’s work on nerve terminal lesions in smooth muscle cells led to the discovery of synapse-formation molecules, agrin and neuregulin, with important implications for the re-establishment of nerve connections after nerve injury. Subsequently his research has extended to the study of glial-led plasticity of synapses and later, to exploring the interaction between the immune and nervous system at the level of the synapse.

Since 2009, Professor Bennett’s research has focused on the functioning of synapses in neuropsychiatric disorders such as PTSD and schizophrenia. “Currently, my resarch is predominantly focused on PTSD” says Professor Bennett. “Stress is one of the few tractable psychiatric disorders. We are using animal models and neuroimaging in patients to characterise the effects of stress on the brain”. His group has been the first to describe stress-induced loss of synapses and consequent reduction in grey matter in PTSD. He notes “understanding how the brain changes as a consequence of stress is fundamental to considering how we might reverse this and develop better therapeutic interventions than are available currently for this difficult condition”.

Bennett, M., Farnell, L., Gibson, W., Lagopoulos, J. (2015). Cortical network models of impulse firing in the resting and active states predict cortical energetics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), 112(13), 4134-4139. [More Information]

Bennett, M. (2015). Excitable Neurofibrils and the Problem of Identifying the Structure of Central Excitatory Synapses in the Nineteenth Century. Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, 24(3), 229-243. [More Information]

Hyder, F., Rothman, D., Bennett, M. (2013). Cortical energy demands of signaling and nonsignaling components in brain are conserved across mammalian species and activity levels. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), 110(9), 3549-3554. [More Information]

Bennett, M. (2010). Synapse regression in depression: the role of 5-HT receptors in modulating NMDA receptor function and synaptic plasticity. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 44(4), 301-308. [More Information]

Bennett, M. (2009). Criminal law as it pertains to ''mentally incompetent defendants'': a McNaughton rule in the light of cognitive neuroscience. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 43(4), 289-299. [More Information]

Bennett, M. (2008). Stress and anxiety in schizophrenia and depression: glucocorticoids, corticotropin-releasing hormone and synapse regression. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 42, 995-1002.

Hickie, I., Bennett, M. (2008). The Brain and Mind Research Institute: a unique campus for the integration of clinical and basic neurosciences in Australia. Australasian Psychiatry, 16(3), 169-172. [More Information]

Bennett, M., Farnell, L., Gibson, W., Lagopoulos, J. (2015). Cortical network models of impulse firing in the resting and active states predict cortical energetics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), 112(13), 4134-4139. [More Information]

Bennett, M. (2015). Excitable Neurofibrils and the Problem of Identifying the Structure of Central Excitatory Synapses in the Nineteenth Century. Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, 24(3), 229-243. [More Information]

Hyder, F., Rothman, D., Bennett, M. (2013). Cortical energy demands of signaling and nonsignaling components in brain are conserved across mammalian species and activity levels. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), 110(9), 3549-3554. [More Information]

Bennett, M. (2010). Synapse regression in depression: the role of 5-HT receptors in modulating NMDA receptor function and synaptic plasticity. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 44(4), 301-308. [More Information]

2009

Bennett, M. (2009). Criminal law as it pertains to ''mentally incompetent defendants'': a McNaughton rule in the light of cognitive neuroscience. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 43(4), 289-299. [More Information]

Bennett, M. (2008). Stress and anxiety in schizophrenia and depression: glucocorticoids, corticotropin-releasing hormone and synapse regression. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 42, 995-1002.

Hickie, I., Bennett, M. (2008). The Brain and Mind Research Institute: a unique campus for the integration of clinical and basic neurosciences in Australia. Australasian Psychiatry, 16(3), 169-172. [More Information]